New Delhi (AP) – US vice -president JD Vance will launch within a four -day Visit to India On Monday, while the two countries are looking to unlock economic opportunities and negotiate a bilateral trade agreement.
Vance will meet the Prime Minister Narendra Modi In New Delhi for talks on the economy, trade and geopolitical links. Vance’s visit is considered an important diplomatic mission by the administration of President Donald Trump, and he coincides with an intensive business war quickly between Washington and Beijing, which is New Delhi’s main rival in the region.
A trade agreement between India and the United States could considerably improve economic ties between the two countries and potentially strengthen diplomatic links.
The United States is also the largest trading partner in India, the bilateral trade worth $ 190 billion until recently.
The Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the visit “will offer both parties the opportunity to review the progress of bilateral relations” and that two leaders “will exchange opinions on the regional and global developments of mutual interest”.
Here is what to know more about Vance’s visit:
Bilateral trade
The arrival of Vance in India occurs weeks after the director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was in India for a geopolitical conference And two months after Modi met Trump in Washington.
Modi was among the first leaders to visit the United States and speak with Trump after returning to the White House. During his visitModi praised a “mega partnership” with the United States and launched a negotiation process to minimize the possible repercussions of Trump prices after having already reduced prices on a range of American products.
In any case, Trump targeted India with a 26% levy as part of its now caused tariff program, which has provided temporary relief to Indian exporters.
During his visit, Modi sought to soften the imminent commercial barriers by saying that it was open to the reduction of more prices on American products, by repatriating unleaded Indian nationals and by buying military equipment. The two countries have also agreed to start talks towards stalling the bilateral trade agreement.
Friday, Modi said that he spoke with Elon Musk and said that he and the CEO of SpaceX “had discussed the immense collaboration potential in the fields of technology and innovation”, saying that “India remains determined to advance our partnerships with the United States in these areas.”
The deep links of India with American affairs
India is a partner close to the United States for bilateral trade, direct foreign investment, defense cooperation and an important strategic ally in the fight against the growing influence of China in the Indo-Pacific region.
It is also part of the Quad, which is made up of the United States as well as India, Japan and Australia and considered as a counter-balance of China’s expansion in the region.
The main American companies such as Apple Inc. and Google have widened operations in India in recent years. Last month, Musk’s Starlink concluded agreements With two of the best telecommunications operators in India to provide satellite internet services.
To further increase trade links, the United States and India has set an ambitious objective more than to double its bilateral trade to $ 500 billion by 2030 under the expected transaction agreement.
Negotiations are particularly urgent for New Delhi because they could be hardly affected by Trump’s reciprocal rates, in particular in the agriculture, transformed food, car components, high -end machines, medical equipment and jewelry. This poses an important challenge for the Modi government because it hopes to embellish the country’s economy and generate jobs with a recovery led by export.
Modi and Trump already share relationships
Modi has established a good working relationship With Trump during his first mandate. It now appears that the two leaders are likely to further stimulate cooperation between their country, in particular in trade, because the Chinese president Xi Jinping aims to position Beijing as a reliable trade partner in the Asia-Pacific region in the midst of increasing tensions with Washington.
India has also already taken a number of measures to win Trump. He will buy more oil, energy and defense equipment, including fifth generation fighter planes, the United States
The United States, however, wants greater access to the market for its agricultural and dairy products in India, but New Delhi has been reluctant with regard to the agricultural sector uses most of the country’s workforce.
Family trip for vance
The visit of Vance in India marks his first official trip to the country, which added importance for the second family. His wife USHA VANCE – A practicing Hindu – is the daughter of immigrants from southern India.
In his Memoirs “Hillbilly Elegy”, Vance described his wife a “daughter Supersmart of Indian immigrants” whom he met at the Yale Law School. Usha’s parents moved to the United States in the late 1970s.
Vance will be accompanied by USHA, their children and other upper members of the American administration, and the couple will visit the Indian cities of Jaipur and Agra and will participate in commitments on cultural sites, said a reading of the White House.
